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Lanthe’s biological clock--which had no idea Thronos was a kidnapping, judg a doting auntie to the twins had ju for little Ruby in the prison had put it into overdrive
That she was at the tail end of her fertile ti matters
But children with Thronos? Never It would be bad enough if Lanthe was trapped in Skye Hell, being brainwashed; she’d be daold’s sake
"You don’t seeeneral," he observed
Not at all And it wasn’t like she hadn’t been looking for a partner all these years
Too bad each of her forays had ended poorly She would either gain a creepy new adet the dreaded brush-off: , "Got a really earlytomorroeet" Then they’d blaze
Hit it and quit it Nail and bail Yet never a conceive and leave, because she’d taken precautions whenever she’d been in season
"How could you not have had children?" Thronos denationa note of all these slut-shains in his face at every opportunity --Each day, I’ive you two harlot cards to play If you playto retaliate, and you won’t enjoy it--
"Answer the question"
--My wanting children is a recent develop halt now that I’ate the possibility further--
"You’ll never be free of aze, he said, "Every second we’re together, I get under your skin as deeply as you’ve scarredwall --What’s your plan now?--
"Avoid the war on the plateau below" The sound of it filtered upward so unceasingly that already it had beco in this cave until you can create a portal to the mortal realm Fro me Thronos, if you didn’t know about the attacks, then your knights were acting outside your orders What’s to stop thehts would not have dared har about that? Less confident?
She had to keep chipping away at his stubborn beliefs --This sorceress is predicting so to have to accept that Vrekeners break their word, and that your chivalrous and valiant knights laughed as they dropped a terrified girl to her death You’re going to have to accept that your ht to murder your eleven-year-old ht not to scream!--
For a moment, Thronos looked almost spooked As of today, she knehat it was like to have one’s lifelong beliefs called into question It felt a lot like Portiaa mountain--in your brain If Lanthe hadn’t known him so well, she could almost have pitied him
But she did know hi with Nïx For now, your bitterest necessity is too tired to keep arguing You don’t rate high enough anyway-- She turned froht now the raised rock shelf in the back looked like the best bed ever
"What do you mean I don’t rate?" he asked When she didn’t answer, he started talking about that sanctified knowledge again, about being a "sword for right," so she tuned hi toward the back
"And you tellyou?" he said fronored Good to know Ignoring hih the air arars, choosers, blah She curled up, closing her eyes
Was it only a day ago that she’d been coughing up grit in the tunnel? Since then, she’d suffered a fiery Vrekener crash, a log to the face, and tongue amputation
And that was after weeks of captivity
I’ood here On top of all that, she was trapped in a cave with gold nearby, which left her antsy She could feel it, could all but smell it, yet she couldn’t reach it, to touch, to worship Like an itch she couldn’t scratch No, worse than that--like a blade in the back she couldn’t reach
Think of so and miserable, she envisioned her lavish suite in Castle Tornin Tonight, she’d be in her war movies--rom-coms and epic love stories Or maybe she’d read a new self-help book
Funny--before all this, she’d been chafing at Tornin She often felt like a third wheel with Rydstros improved when Rydstroirls, but their visits weren’t frequent enough to satisfy Lanthe
Sharing a castle with Sabine and Rydstroh Lanthe had her oer in Tornin, she’d still see hi her hand just to walk to dinner Their obvious adoration for each other made Lanthejealous
Not that her sister didn’t deserve every happiness, but Sabine had never even wanted love for herself Lanthe had drea no stone unturned to find it; yet she was the one alone, with no prospect of it
The closest she could get to a lasting relationship ith a h!
She couldn’t believe she’d had even a passing thought that Thronos’s physique was attractive! Daet back to Rothkalina, she vowed on all the gold in her private vault that she would never chafe again
She squeezed her eyes ain If theto do with it, she’d live out her days in a floating hell
Until she jumped
FOURTEEN
At least one of us can sleep After about half an hour, the sorceress had passed out--while he sat back against a wall of hieroglyphs, watching her
She see hinoring hi for the last several centuries
Because he didn’t rate To her, he mattered not at all
Positioned as she was, her ridiculous excuse for a skirt was riding up Any higher and he’d be able to see the cleft of her ass Recalling the feel of those shapely curves in his palh he hadn’t slept in weeks, he wouldn’t with Melanthe near, for fear of what he le one of his dreas to her
Soainst the sheets, the pillow, his fist--anything to ease the pressure his body continued to struggle with